Adam’s Peak, also known as Sri Pada, is a 2,243m (7,359 ft) mountain in the central highland region of Sri Lanka. It is an important pilgrimage site that holds significance in several major religions like Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims & Christians. Whatever your beliefs are, there are rewarding views for everyone at the summit.

Thanks for accompanying us up!

After surviving the perpetual mountainous road to Nallathanniya, we stayed a night there before facing the 5,500 crumbling stone steps up to cloud nine (oh god). The hostels around Nallathanniya would cost below usd50 with a good and reliable WiFi.

1. Timing is key

Generally, the hike up is around 3-4 hours (hike down is around 2 hours) with plenty of breaks included (you need them, a lot), so it is best to start the hike around 2am to catch the sunrise. You can catch the amazing stars above you which makes the climb a little less miserable. It is like scattered moon dust in the sky!
There are options to start your hike in the day too (caution: the sun is blazing).

2. Climbing Season

Avoid going during the pilgrimage season (full moon of December and ends on the full moon of April) as the steps might be congested. Only during peak season the trail is lit, with shops open along the route. Outside of this period, do ask the locals around for the conditions before you set off.

3. Things to bring

Headlamp or torchlight if you are hiking at night due to the inconsistency of the steps,though it is safe. Some steps are knee-length and steep.

It is quite cold on top so prepare thick clothing in the bag. You don’t want to take pictures while shivering do you. For the hike, just a glove and long sleeve tee will suffice. Why glove? For the freezing railings to assist you in your climb.

Take note that no shoes are allowed in the temple at the summit so you may want some dry socks to put on after looking around.

4. Food

This is highly the important point of all. You will get famished during the ascend so pack some light snacks – chocolate, nuts and nutritional bars with you. My personal favorite is the Quaker instant oatmeal packet, it is easy to eat and comes in small sizes. And please please i beg you take your trash with you and don’t ruin this beautiful place.

When we were there, there’s a small shop at the summit selling hot tea which helps a lot battling the cold climate up there

5. Admission is free

There are donation boxes and monks whom will say some prayers to you on the way up ,tie a white string around your wrist and ask for donation which is all up to you (I skipped those). None of those are required, so if you want to donate, do it willingly.

After all the moans and groans, hisses of pains and chilly bites, Adam’s Peak rewards you with the killer view and you’ve just earned yourself the bragging rights.

Ella

Ella is a garden paradise in the central Sri Lanka, surrounded with beautiful tea plantations. It has a cooling climate of around 27 degrees in the day. From waterfalls to stunning mountainous landscapes, you will tend to stay longer than planned.

We arrived in Ella from southern Sri Lanka and we were taken aback by the views surrounding us. Plus, the cooling weather of the central highlands complements the scenery.

We started the day with a warm-up hike to the mini Adam’s Peak. I said warm-up as we are preparing for the main one which is the ultimate Adam’s Peak itself. It took us around a comfortable 1-2 hours up the mini Adam’s Peak as we indulge in the greenery and lush tea plantations around us. The summit is spectacular enough but we couldn’t stay long for the sunset as the sun was blazing.

Demodara Nine Arch Bridge. That’s where we wanted to go but somehow we took the wrong and long way and found ourselves lost (hahaha oh well). It was pouring so we seek refuge as losers in a small but chic cafe in the middle of the woods. But you guys should check it out! (the bridge though not the cafe)
Next up, Nuwara Eliya!

Tea plantations on the way up to the summit

Losers got lost finding the bridge

Nuwara Eliya to Adam’s Peak

We arrived here via one of the most the beautiful train journeys in the world. We bought the first class seats as our wallets said yes to them.
The mountain ranges, tea plantations and valleys accompanied us throughout the journey.

Nuwara Eliya is also called the Little England as probably the houses are similar to England (like cottages) and it has a slightly colder weather (definitely not like England). We did souvenir shopping before heading off to Adam’s Peak where we stayed in hostel for a night before the torturous hike, which I got some tips for y’all!

Unawatuna, Sri Lanka is one of the more famous areas in the country. Located at the southern tip of the island, it has stunning beaches surrounded with green palm trees.

Unawatuna Beach

This site doesn’t go in chronological order as the author is probably lazy to keep track of the timeline but as promised on the previous post, he’ll cover on the Pearl of the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka.

To the planet Earth, Sri Lanka is shaped like a teardrop right below India on the map, the nation fought a bloody civil war for two and half decades which ended in 2009.Formerly known as Ceylon, the island is a home to many tropical golden beaches, stunning hills with amazing tea plantations and of course mouth-watering Indian delicacies.

Landed in the crowded Colombo in the day, we made friends with a local who lived in Australia (yay no language barrier) whom gave us a head start by giving us directions to Galle, Unawatuna. Through an overcrowded train and an overpriced tuk-tuk, we’d reached our destination by night time.

Er next train maybe?

Finally, we’ve reached!

Galle Fort, built by the Portugese and the Dutch in the 16th century to defend Galle against foreign colonies, was easily invaded by the three of us in 2015.The buildings in this area are built with European influences, something you don’t see in Asia often.

Gypsy ipsy

More for the eyes in Unawatuna & Galle:

We’d found an isolated beach as compared to the one on the far right of the picture

From the Galle-fort-nia we headed to the Japanese Peace Temple nearby. From there you can see Unawatuna Beach in its glory as well as the surrounding Jungle Beach.